The Haunting of House Jaeger
by FeatherRose242
Summary: For four years, no one has lived at 465 Shiganshina Drive. Especially not after all of the previous inhabitants have either disappeared or fled. The venom of the house has just begun to settle down, until a young man named Levi comes and unknowingly stirs it back up.
1. Prologue

_FeatherRose242 here._  
_Recently, I've fallen into the Shingeki no Kyojin fandom, so I decided to try writing a story for it. At the same time, I was watching YouTube videos of this guy called PewDiePie playing horror video games, thus I came up with 'The Haunting of House Jaeger.'_  
_This is my first time writing a horror story, so please give me your opinion on my writing. If there's something I can do to make it scarier, feel free to PM me or leave a review!_

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**{~|The Haunting of House Jaeger|~}**

_[Prologue]_

The large house loomed from its location at the end of Shiganshina Drive. The front porch was empty save for a bunch of cobwebs and an old, creaky rocking chair. The windows were dark, and the maroon curtains that framed them were barely visible through the gloom.

Despite its ominous appearance, two figures still crept up the front steps and stopped in front of the white, wooden door. Both of them held flashlights, and the beams of lights danced around the eerie structures, leaving circles of brightness that shone from the rocking chair to the window and to the door.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Definitely." One of the teenage boys reached out and jiggled the doorknob, which was locked. Undeterred, he reached into his pocket and dug out a hairpin. He poked one end into the keyhole and wiggled it around a bit. There was a tiny _click, _and the boy let out a whispered exclamation. He withdrew the hairpin, twisted the knob, and pushed open the door.

The muffled creak that scratched its way to the boys' ears sent chills down their spines. The boy who had unlocked the front door looked excited by the increasing possibility of getting a fright on this little expedition. However, the second boy gave off a strong vibe that he really wanted to turn back while they could.

"I don't think this is a good idea." The words fell on deaf ears as the first boy stepped into the house. Not wanting to be left alone, the second hastily followed, shutting the door behind him timidly.

"This is amazing!" The first boy led the way down the vacant hall, shining his flashlight on anything and everything. His companion followed him, nervously alternating his beam of light from the path in front of them to the door behind them and back.

The pair of them reached the end of the hall and cautiously peeked into the spacious dining room. The dining table was sitting in the center of the room with four chairs around it, all gathering dust. Unused pots and pans hung from the wall, and a complete set of kitchen knives sat on the countertop.

"I'm going upstairs." The first boy walked towards the staircase that disappeared to the second floor. "You can stay down here and check things out." Before his friend could protest, he vanished up the stairs, his sneakers making muffled thuds as he climbed the steps.

Trembling, the second boy silently tiptoed into the living room. He slowly shone his flashlight around the room, taking in the dusty TV and the long, leather couch. A dead plant in a pot sat in the corner of the room, its twisted and knotted branches curled against the wall. Another door stood closed on the opposite side of the room. The boy swiftly walked over and turned the knob.

It was locked.

The boy backed away from the door and turned to go back into the dining room when a cold draft suddenly gusted into the room. The temperature dropped dramatically, and goosebumps rose on the boy's arms. As he rubbed at his flesh, the boy felt something warm drip onto his nose. He reached up, rubbed at it, and lifted his hand away from his face to stare at the dark liquid on his fingers.

Slowly, he tilted his head up and noticed the stain that was spreading along the ceiling of the room. A faint, coppery scent filled the air, and – even though he could barely see – the boy knew exactly what the liquid running across the ceiling was.

Blood.

Heart thudding wildly in his chest, the boy dashed into the kitchen, intent on going upstairs to find his friend. As he passed under the doorway, however, his breath caught in his chest and he skidded to a halt.

One of the knives from the knife set was floating before him, the tip pointing in his direction from the other side of the room. It bobbed up and down, glinting menacingly in the moonlight that shone in from the kitchen window.

For a while, neither boy nor knife moved to accost the other. Suddenly, the knife flew forward, aiming for the boy's head. The boy screamed and scrambled aside, tripping over his own feet in his haste and fear. The knife missed narrowly, shredding the boy's sleeve and embedding itself into the wall instead.

Wide-eyed and panting, the boy sprinted as fast as he could up to the second floor. He threw open the first door that he came across, dashed into the room, and slammed the door shut behind him. The silence that followed closed in on him from all sides, overwhelming him just as easily as a noisy environment could.

It wasn't until the teen had caught his breath that he noticed his friend lying on the floor in front of him. Breathing out a sigh of relief, the boy knelt down next to his friend and shook the unmoving body. "Come on, man. We gotta get out of here. This place is really creepy!"

His friend's body rolled over, and the boy let out a shriek that could wake the dead. His friend's face had been peeled off and his eyes gouged out, leaving an ugly and bloody mass of torn flesh behind. The skull was visible in places, poking out from underneath the tattered meat. The front of the corpse's shirt was soaked through with blood, and more continued to ooze from its face.

The teenage male shoved his friend's body away and ran for the door. He seized the doorknob, rattling it as hard as he could, and shoved his entire body weight against the wooden obstacle. His efforts to escape were fruitless; the door was jammed.

A rustling noise from behind made him freeze and turn. His attempts to open the door tripled when he saw the body of his deceased friend standing and facing him. The blood continued to drip onto the floor, and the skull grinned crazily at him from underneath the rivers of red.

The boy continued to twist and push, his gasps dissolving into sobs as he heard the dragging sounds of the faceless corpse approaching. "No, no, no, no." Repeating that word over and over, his vision blurred with the tears that welled up in his eyes.

Even with his struggles, the boy knew that it was over. His tears spilled over as he closed his eyes and felt a pair of strong, cold hands close in on his fragile head.


	2. 465 Shiganshina Drive

_I am back with another chapter of HHJ, and I've decided to update this story on Saturdays. However, I might not update every Saturday depending on the schoolwork and homework that I have.  
Another heads-up: it will take a while for Eren to appear. Please be patient. I don't want to be rushed and end up ruining the plot.  
Thanks to those who followed/favorite/reviewed. Review replies are at the bottom. :)  
~FR242_

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**{~|The Haunting of House Jaeger|~}**

_[Chapter 1: 465 Shiganshina Drive]_

"Finally. A place that's quiet." Levi spun the steering wheel of his car – a black Toyota Corolla – and pushed his foot down on the gas pedal, urging the automobile to turn left. With a tiny jerk, the car lurched forward and swung its nose around, bumping its way onto Shiganshina Drive. From there, Levi drove for another three minutes and finally arrived in front of his new house.

There was a red Ferrari already parked in front of 465 Shiganshina Drive, and a fancily-dressed man in a black suit was pacing the weathered front lawn. When Levi got out of his car, the man looked up and walked over.

"Mr. Levi, I'm glad you made it on time!" The man's lip twitched in an attempt at a friendly smile, but to Levi, it looked more like a grimace.

"I'm not a fan of tardiness, Verman." Levi made no effort to smile at the landlord and began to make his way up the front steps. "Let's hurry up and get this over with."

Kitts Verman voiced his agreement and swiftly dodged in front of Levi, taking a key out of his pocket and fitting it into the lock on the front door. There was a click, and the door swung in. Kitts pushed it open the rest of the way and beckoned Levi into the hall.

"This place is filthy. Even the gutters are cleaner than this." Levi observed the dusty walls and cobweb-infested corners with his nose wrinkled. He pressed a finger to a mirror that leaned against the wall and withdrew the digit to scowl at the coat of grime that covered his fingertip.

Kitts chuckled nervously. "Of course, Mr. Levi. This place has been uninhabited for nearly four years. Over time, the dirt and dust accumulated–"

"I'm not stupid." Levi glared at the landlord, who quickly shut his mouth and turned his head.

Kitts didn't speak again until they entered the dining room. He went to the sink and turned on the faucet, letting the water run for a bit before turning it off again. He then proceeded into the hall that led to the staircase, leaving Levi to examine the first floor.

The first thing Levi did was open the window in the dining room, letting a cool autumn breeze into the house. He left the dining room and went around the rest of the first floor, opening every single window that he came across. The wind quickly chased out the dank, musty smell of the house, replacing it with a fresh scent.

Kitts came stomping downstairs just as Levi was scrutinizing the empty refrigerator. "Everything seems to still be in working order. What do you think of the house, Mr. Levi?"

"It could use a lot of cleaning." Levi stalked past Kitts. "I'm going to go take a look upstairs."

"Of course." Kitts watched him go. "I'll be out on the front porch if you need me." With that, he hurried out the door. Levi briefly mused about Kitts' haste to get out of the house before he ascended the stairs and arrived on the second floor.

Levi took his time going from room to room, doing his best to ignore the creakiness of the doors and the terrifying layers of dust. Instead, he tried to view the rooms without the grime, noticing that underneath the dirt, the house was rather magnificent.

He had just finished looking over the last room – a bedroom – and was going to head back downstairs when a faint scratching noise made him halt. Half-turning, Levi strained his ears, trying to pick up the sound again, but there was nothing. It was almost as though Levi had imagined the sound.

Deciding that it wasn't anything to worry about, Levi walked down the stairs and stepped out onto the front porch, where Kitts was nervously pacing around.

"How much do I have to pay every month?"

Kitts looked surprised and relieved at the same time. "You intend to sign the lease?"

"No shit."

Kitts reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper and a pen. "It will be $920 each month. I will be taking care of electricity and water bills as well as the repairs." He stuck his hand into his pocket again and pulled out a business card. "Feel free to contact me when something breaks."

Levi took the card and the contract. Taking his time, he carefully read through the terms, finding nothing that he disagreed with besides the unusually cheap price of the house, but he wasn't about to voice his concerns with that. With a flourish, he signed the lease and handed it back.

Kitts accepted the paper gladly. "Well then, have a nice day, Mr. Levi." He nodded to the shorter man and walked over to his Ferrari. Levi watched as his landlord peeled out of the driveway and disappeared down Shiganshina Drive.

When the red Ferrari was no longer in sight, Levi went to his black Toyota and began to take out his suitcases from the trunk. He didn't bring many things with him: there was one suitcase with his clothes and toiletries, one suitcase full of books that he kept for light reading, and a violin. He had decided to leave his pieces of furniture behind since they would have taken up a lot of space, and luckily, most of the furniture in his new house would be usable after a vigorous cleaning.

Without much effort, Levi heaved his two suitcases and violin up the stairs and into the room that he would call his bedroom. Reluctantly leaving his violin in the dirty floor, he opened one of the suitcases and took out the toiletries he had packed. With quick steps, Levi headed to the bathroom that was out in the hall only to pause in the doorway to the corridor.

There was that scratching noise again. The same one that he had dismissed earlier. The one that was coming from his bedroom closet.

Curious and slightly annoyed, Levi walked over to his bed and dropped the things that he was holding onto it. With light steps, he approached the closed door and grasped the dusty, brass doorknob. Slowly, he twisted it and pulled open the door.

An empty closet stared back at him. The floor was covered with a layer of filth that made Levi wrinkle his nose in disgust. He should probably clean the house before trying to put his belongings away. If he remembered correctly, there was an old broom that had been left behind in the downstairs supply closet. He could use that rather than go out and buy supplies.

As he turned away from the depressing closet, a flicker of movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. Levi whirled around and scanned his bedroom, searching for something that had already disappeared. The only movement came from the maroon curtains that fluttered in the breeze that entered from the open window.

When nothing else twitched, Levi blamed the curtains for the movement he had seen earlier. Pushing the matter to the back of his mind, he stomped down the stairs and found the old broom in the supply closet. He tied a cloth around his head to keep the dust from getting into his hair and another one around his nose and mouth to make sure he didn't breathe in the dirty particles. Pulling on a pair of rubber gloves, Levi began his task of purging the house of every last bit of grime that he came across.

Cleaning wasn't an easy task. In some areas, the dust was so thick that Levi had to sweep many times before it even looked decent. To help clear the filth, the short man had thrown open both the front and back doors, making it easier for him to push piles of dust out of the house.

Once Levi was done with the floors, he took a duster and began sweeping at the walls and ceiling. He dragged down many spider webs and killed a few spiders that looked too big to be normal for a house spider. Then, he dusted the pieces of furniture that lay around the house, and swept the floors again afterwards.

However, one door had refused to open when Levi tugged at its doorknob. The gray-eyed man paused, broom in hand and scowl on face, as the door merely rattled on its hinges instead of swinging out of his way. Levi could have easily kicked it down, but it had three locks, and Levi doubted that he could kick it down without fracturing his foot.

With a quiet sigh, Levi decided to put off cleaning the room behind the door for a day when he actually felt like looking for the keys. Until then, he would just need to sanitize the rest of the house.

Levi placed his broom against the wall as he dug a rag out of the supply closet. Going over to the kitchen sink, he turned on the cold water and wetted the cloth. Diligently, he started to wipe down the kitchen counters, the dining table, and the chairs. Sweat beaded his forehead and trickled down his pale neck, but he would wait until he finished his task before resting.

After his short break, Levi took down the maroon curtains and tried to put them in the laundry. However, despite the fact that it had a broom and a duster, the supply closet was empty of laundry detergent. Levi had to get into his car and drive to the Maria Town Mall, where he bought two containers of laundry detergent and two containers of bleach; he didn't remember seeing any of the latter in the house either.

The cashier was a short female with long, blonde hair. She greeted Levi politely as she rung up the detergent and bleach. "I've never seen you around before. Did you just move to Maria Town?"

"Yeah. I got here this morning and I've been cleaning the house since." Levi pulled out his wallet and took out a twenty dollar bill to pay.

"Really? Which house?"

"The one at the end of Shiganshina Drive. It's…" Levi stopped when he saw the look on her face. She was staring at him with wide, blue eyes. Her hand, which was holding his change, had frozen over the money tray. Her mouth was slightly agape, and she looked as though she had seen a ghost.

"You moved into House Jaeger?" Her voice had dropped into a cracked whisper that was filled with disbelief. Levi was confused but refused to show it on his face.

"House Jaeger?"

"465 Shiganshina Drive?" She nodded when Levi blinked. "I thought so." Without further elaboration, she placed his change in his hand and turned back to the register.

"You can't just leave me hanging here." Levi pocketed the money. "What's wrong with the house?"

She glanced around the shop. Seeing no one else besides Levi, she leaned forward on the counter and dropped her voice to whisper. "House Jaeger is rumored to be haunted."

A thin, black eyebrow arched. "Care to explain that?"

The blond cashier fiddled with the ends of her hair nervously. "Ever since it was built ten years ago, all inhabitants of House Jaeger have either disappeared or fled. The police haven't been able to find any clues about the ones who disappeared, and the ones who've left all say that the house is an evil place."

She fidgeted uncomfortably as Levi's gray eyes pinned her in an unwavering stare. However, she knew how he would react. She knew what he would say and what he would do. The others reacted the same way. They said and did the same things.

"I don't believe in the supernatural." Levi picked up the laundry detergent and the bleach. "But I appreciate your concern." He peered at her nametag. "Krista."

Despite what he said in the shop, Levi brooded over what Krista told him during the entire drive home. He entered his house again, this time a little warily, and turned on the laundry. As the machine washed the curtains, Levi went up to his bedroom and took out some food that he had packed for the trip here. Despite the various supplies that lay around the house, the refrigerator was devoid of any food.

After he finished off his lunch, Levi picked up the duster and began to dust the furniture on the second floor. He removed the old sheets from his bed and made a note to wash them after the curtains were done. He wiped the bathroom sinks and organized his toiletries on the small shelves that were present.

Once his bedroom and the bathroom were finished, he moved to the second bedroom and cleaned that as well. Halfway through his task, he ran down to the laundry room and put the curtains into the dryer while his bed sheets were washed.

After the bedroom, Levi turned to the hallway. Reaching up as far as he could, he waved the duster about, causing clouds of dirt to drop from the ceiling in clumps. Some landed in his eyes, and he had to pause and blink it out before continuing.

As he swept at the ceiling, he noticed something. The dust had been covering a rectangular trapdoor that was fitted into the ceiling. This house had an attic! Levi lowered his duster and examined the closed doorway.

He noticed that there was a string attached to the edge of the trapdoor, held against the ceiling by a few bits of dust. With his duster, Levi swatted the dust away, and the string dropped down, dangling in front of his face. Levi reached up and pulled, making the trapdoor creak open and a set of wooden stairs appear. He backed away as the last step hit the floor with a muffled thud.

Levi peered up into the rectangular space. The attic was completely dark, and he could barely see anything. With a sigh, Levi grabbed the ladder with both hands and began to climb the steps, not noticing that the atmosphere was getting colder.

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**ColorZ PrincezZ: Really? I was afraid that I might have gone overboard with the details, and it's quite difficult to convey a strong sense of fear through a story since jump-scares are more effective in movies. XD**

**OlivineWK: I'm glad I was able to ensnare you so quickly. Thanks for your support! ^_^**


	3. The Bespectacled Stranger

_I missed the update last Saturday...Sorry. Last week was pretty hectic school-wise, so I didn't get to work on this as much as I would have liked. However, I'm proud to announce that Hanji will be making her debut in this chapter. That should provide enough entertainment for you all until things get serious.  
Thanks to those who favorite/followed/reviewed! Review replies are at the bottom.  
~FR242_

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**{~|The Haunting of House Jaeger|~}**

_[Chapter 2: The Bespectacled Stranger]_

The rickety wooden steps creaked under Levi's weight as the man cautiously made his way up the ladder. The muscles in his body were coiled, ready in case the stairs suddenly snapped and collapsed. About halfway up the ladder, Levi paused, peering into the gloom of the attic warily. He could make out a few shapes that he believed to be boxes. Unfortunately, he could barely see anything else.

Levi heaved another sigh and lifted his foot to take another step. Suddenly, the ladder gave way with a loud crack. Levi gave a shout of surprise as the bottom half of it fell away and landed on the floor with a resounding clatter, leaving Levi clinging to the top half that was connected to the edge of the trapdoor. With a crunching sound, the top half of the ladder tore itself from the trapdoor, and Levi dropped onto the floor, grunting as the breath was knocked out of him.

He lay there for a while, letting himself finish comprehending what had just happened. Once he had recovered, he sat up, pushing the broken ladder off him. "Shit." This wasn't what he had hoped for. Now he had no way to get into the attic. The ceiling was too high for him to jump and get a good grip on the edge, and he would rather not touch the undoubtedly dusty floor of the attic.

With an irritated hiss, Levi stood up, rubbing his throbbing shoulders. He flexed his limbs experimentally, checking to make sure that he didn't get any splinters or fractured bones. Once he was sure that he was alright, he picked up the two pieces of the broken ladder and headed to the backyard. He wouldn't throw them out yet; it might be useful for when Kitts found someone to make a new ladder.

Meanwhile, the sheets and the curtains that he had put in the laundry needed to be tended to. Stalking to the laundry room, Levi replaced the curtains in the dryer with the sheets and carried the curtains upstairs, where he put them back on the windows.

Now that the house was pretty much clean, with the exception of the attic and the room behind the locked door (but they don't count since Levi didn't have access to them), the man could put his things away. He unpacked all of his clothes and placed them into a wooden dresser that was next to his bed. He left his books in the suitcase since there weren't any bookshelves in the house. He would have to go and buy one when he had the time. His first priority right now was filling up the sad excuse of a refrigerator.

He grabbed his keys and left the house, locking the door behind him. He got into his car, turned on the engine, and pulled out of his driveway, heading for the interior section of Maria Town. He probably wouldn't buy anything too fancy yet, but he would definitely get some milk, salt, eggs, and any other foods that he would need on a daily basis.

As Levi drove to the supermarket, he suddenly remembered something that made his eyes widened for a fraction of a second. He had promised his friend that he would send a message once he was settled into his new house. After all, his friend had been the one to suggest that Levi move to Maria Town when Levi couldn't stand the boisterous Rose City anymore.

The first thing Levi did after he stopped his car in the parking lot was take out his phone. He pulled his keys out from the ignition and unbuckled his seatbelt as he hammered off a quick text to his friend.

**To: Erwin Smith  
Got settled in at my new house, Capt. America.  
Sent: October 28****th**** 3:48 PM**

As soon as the _Message Sent _memo popped up, Levi snapped his phone shut and exited from his car, taking care to lock it afterwards. He grabbed a shopping cart and pushed it into the store, pausing briefly to allow the automatic doors to slide out of his way.

Since it was his first time in the Maria Town supermarket, Levi had no choice but to wander around aimlessly in order to find what he wanted to buy. Luckily, there were a few signs to help him along, and the first things he came across were the eggs.

As he placed two cartons of eggs in his cart, he felt his phone vibrate from within his pocket. He pulled it out and flipped it open to see a reply from Erwin blinking on the screen.

**From: Erwin Smith  
That's great to hear, Levi. How is the house?  
Received: October 28****th**** 3:53 PM**

Slender and nimble fingers danced across the small keyboard.

**To: Erwin Smith  
I was told that it is haunted.  
Sent: October 28****th**** 3:53 PM**

Levi watched as the message was sent. He wondered what Erwin would say to that rumor. His friend hadn't ever seemed the type that would believe in the supernatural, but then again, Levi had never discussed the topic with him before.

Levi's phone vibrated.

**From: Erwin Smith  
Haunted? How come? What's your address?  
Received: October 28****th**** 3:54 PM**

**To: Erwin Smith  
465 Shiganshina Drive. And I don't really know. A girl called Krista just told me that all previous inhabitants of the house have either fled or vanished. Know anything?  
Sent: October 28****th**** 3:55 PM**

Levi shoved his phone into his pocket and carried on shopping. A gallon of milk, a can of salt, various vegetables and meats, and a bunch of other foods were added to the cart. His phone vibrated again as he was waiting in line at the cashier's register.

**From: Erwin Smith  
There are a few records here about the house, but it's all unsolved missing person cases. That's all I can access for you right now.  
Received: October 28****th**** 4:10 PM**

**To: Erwin Smith  
Thanks.  
Sent: October 28****th**** 4:11 PM**

**From: Erwin Smith  
Stay safe. I'll contact you if I find anything else.  
Received: October 28****th**** 4:11 PM**

Levi looked up from the screen to see that he was the next customer. He swiftly put away his phone and began stacking his groceries on the counter, feeling faint wisps of amusement drift throughout his body. When he had been a young teen, he lived his life in the gutters of Rose City. He spent every day stealing and hiding in order to survive. Erwin knew this and was well aware of the fact that Levi couldn't possibly get into situations that were more dangerous, yet he still warned his friend to be careful.

But this time, Erwin's concern might be reasonable.

Not bothering to reply to Erwin's last text, Levi paid for his food and pushed the shopping cart out of the supermarket. The wheels squeaked slightly as they rolled across the asphalt of the parking lot, but Levi ignored them in favor of digging out his car keys from his pocket.

He pushed down on the unlock button twice in succession and listened as his car let out four musical beeps, signaling that the trunk had been unlocked. Levi pulled the trunk open and began hefting the plastic bags of groceries into his car. He had just stuffed the last bag into the trunk when his phone vibrated once more.

**From: Erwin Smith  
By the way, when's a good time for me to visit you? I want to see your house.  
Received: October 28****th**** 4:16 PM**

Levi slammed the trunk shut and stood there, staring at the text and pondering his answer. After a long while, he started typing his response.

**To: Erwin Smith  
Sometime in November. Preferably after I get used to everything.  
Sent: October 28****th**** 4:18 PM**

Levi snapped his phone shut, turned around, and almost immediately walked into someone. He sucked in a surprised breath and quickly jumped back, shoulders tense and muscles coiled. If someone was trying to pick a fight with him, then he would give it to that person.

Levi ended up feeling surprised as he realized that he had bumped into a woman. The woman was–regrettably–taller than him and had chestnut hair that was tied up in a messy ponytail. Her brown eyes shone from behind a pair of glasses, staring at Levi as though he was a fascinating exhibit in a museum. _Who the hell is she?_

The woman leaned forward; Levi leaned back. Their faces were so close that their noses were practically touching. Levi could see the dark speckles in her irises and count the strands of hair that fell in front of her forehead. This was definitely way too close for comfort.

"What's your problem?" Levi stepped back and glared at the woman, making sure that the glare contained the highest levels of annoyance and anger possible.

To Levi's surprise, she simply laughed off his glare and stuck out her right hand. "You're new to Maria Town, right? Nice to meet you!" Her voice was strangely enthusiastic for just meeting a new person. Her tone was more apropos for a little kid who was being taken to an amusement park, and for some reason, it made Levi feel very unsettled.

He ignored the woman's outstretched hand and continued to glare. "If you don't want anything, then leave me alone." Without waiting for an answer, Levi turned, grabbed the shopping cart, and began to push it back to the supermarket. Irritatingly, the woman followed him with the cheerful smile still on her face.

"Come on, man, don't be like that." She found it easy to keep up with Levi's fast pace due to the fact that she towered over him by a head, which gave Levi another reason to dislike her. "You're new to Maria Town, aren't you?"

"What's it to you?" Levi left the cart by the front entrance of the supermarket and started walking back to his car. Yet, the woman still followed him, despite his abrasive and acerbic tone.

"Well, I was thinking that if you're new, I could show you around, you know. Introduce you to some people, even though there's really nobody outside right now." She gestured around them. "Everyone's probably inside watching TV or something."

Levi frowned. "I don't care about meeting other people." When the woman opened her mouth to retort, he cut her off. "And are you blind? There's someone over there." He nodded at a teenage boy with chin-length blond hair who was watching them from behind a tree a few yards away. The boy's sky-blue eyes widened slightly when he saw Levi nod at him, but he made no effort to approach them or run away.

The woman looked in the direction that Levi had indicated, and her brow wrinkled slightly in confusion. "Eh?" She turned and stared back at him, her cheerfulness fading into a look of curiosity.

"What?" Levi was bewildered, too. One moment, she had been chattering away without a care in the world and the next, she was staring at him as though he had sprouted an extra head. The boy who had been watching them had vanished from his place beside the tree, and there was no trace of him in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, the woman had moved past confusion and was eyeing Levi thoughtfully. Once again, Levi asked what her problem was, but when she didn't reply, he gave up with a hiss of irritation and opened his car's door.

"Hanji."

Levi paused with the keys in the ignition and looked at her. A smile was back on her face and her arms were crossed in front of her chest as she leaned casually against the white Porsche that was parked next to Levi's Toyota.

"What?"

Her smile grew wider. "That's my name. Hanji." Without further ado, she walked to the driver's side of the Porsche and got in. Levi stared after her as she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, and he was still staring when the Porsche was no longer in sight.

Levi finally looked away when his phone vibrated. "Annoying shitty specs," he cursed as he took out his phone. There were two new messages from Erwin. The first had been sent while Levi was dealing with Hanji, so the short man didn't see it until now.

**From: Erwin Smith  
I'll come by on November 12****th****, okay?  
Received: October 28****th**** 4:19 PM**

**From: Erwin Smith  
Levi? Am I to assume that your silence is confirmation?  
Received: October 28****th**** 4:32 PM**

Levi punched the buttons on his phone, tapping out a quick answer.

**To: Erwin Smith  
Fine, come on the 12****th****. I don't care.  
Sent: October 28****th**** 4:32 PM**

When the message was sent, Levi chucked his phone onto the passenger seat and started up his car. With a crunch of its tires, the car rolled out of the parking lot and headed back to Levi's home. Back to House Jaeger.

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**ColorZ PrincezZ: Aww, but the attic is quite important to the story. And so is the room behind the locked door. Even the fact that there was no food in the fridge and no detergent/bleach in the supply closet is important. But don't worry. You'll find out why as I update more! ^_^**

**Fraeya: When I saw the two super-long reviews you left me, I was just like 'wow!' Thanks for taking the time to write so much. I'll take your recommendations into consideration. House of Leaves sounds interesting, and hopefully, I'll have time to take a look. Thanks for taking the time to send me two reviews and a PM as well! :)**

**Guest777: Yep, the house is formally known as House Jaeger, and I'm not going to give anything away (no matter how obvious it is). You'll just have to wait for the next chapter. ;)**

**Hope (Guest): Thanks! I adore Hanji. She's my favorite female character in SnK, so I just had to give her an important role. XD**

**OlivineWK: I feel like most stories with Levi are too focused on his desire for cleanliness, so I want to make this different. And yeah, I look forward to revealing the mysteries of House Jaeger. :)**


	4. The Whispering Fog

_I'm sorry for not updating sooner! The week before, I couldn't really think of what to write for this chapter, and when I finally had an idea, school was just like, "LOL nope!" and I ended up with a lot of work that I had to complete.  
Also, I started a Durarara! story called __**Acquaintance**__, so that will definitely take some time out of my schedule. I'm also thinking about whether or not I should turn this story into a series. I have some ideas, but I'm worried that I may not be motivated long enough to finish the series. Ah, decisions, decisions~!  
Thanks to those who followed/favorite/reviewed! Review replies are at the bottom._

_~FR242_

* * *

**{~|The Haunting of House Jaeger|~}**

_[Chapter 3: The Whispering Fog]_

_Levi opened his eyes to see gray. Everywhere was gray. No matter where he looked, the only thing that he could see was the gray mist that surrounded him. He couldn't even see his hands when he lifted them up to his face._

_But was he really lifting his hands? It certainly didn't feel like it. In fact, it felt as though he was suspended in nothingness. He couldn't tell if his body was obeying his mind's commands to move since the only thing he could see was the swirling mist around him._

_He tried calling out, but he couldn't hear his own voice. Then, the whispering started up. It was a thin and faint hiss that barely brushed past Levi's ears. He strained his ears, struggling to hear the words being murmured in his ear._

"_Errand…err…and…errand…"_

_Levi was confused. What errand? What did an errand have to do with anything? Unfortunately, he couldn't hear any more since the whispering was rapidly fading away. Levi tossed his head back and forth, trying to see something–_anything–_that stood out in the unrelenting fog. However, nothing changed, and soon, _Levi shook himself awake.

He lay on the bed for a few moments, blinking at the ceiling of his bedroom in bewilderment. Soon, the feeling of the sweat-drenched sheets invaded his mind, and he let out an irritated hiss. He just washed the sheets yesterday!

Levi rolled out of bed and changed out of his sweaty sleepwear, glancing at the clock he had placed on the dresser. 7:47 AM. At least it wasn't one in the morning or anything like that. Levi yanked the sheets off the bed and grabbed his blanket and his pillowcase, too. Flicking on the lights, he proceeded to drag the dirty pieces of cloth to the laundry room, where he dumped his load into the washing machine, added laundry detergent, and turned the machine on.

By now, Levi was pretty much awake, so he made his way into the kitchen for breakfast. He took out the frying pan, and a few moments later, two eggs were sizzling in it. Once the eggs were finished, Levi placed them on a plate and poured a glass of milk. He sat himself down on the couch in the living room and turned on the TV.

He had just finished his breakfast when his morning was disrupted by a sound outside his living room window. Cautiously, Levi muted the television and dropped to the floor, crawling to the window stealthily. As he leaned against the wall, he could hear a series of soft _thuds _coming from the front porch. They were getting louder, then softer, then louder, then softer, as though someone or something was walking back and forth on his porch.

Levi lifted his head slightly and peered through a crack between the curtains that hung in front of the window. From this position, he was aware of a shadow that was moving back and forth in time with the footsteps. As subtly as he could, Levi reached out a pale hand and shifted a curtain to the side by a fraction of an inch, trying to get a closer look at the person pacing on his porch.

The moment he moved the curtain, he was greeted by a shadowy face that loomed at him from the other side of the window.

Levi let out a whispered curse of shock and leapt away from the window, struggling to get his wildly-beating heart under control. A loud banging came from the window as the person on the other side knocked on the glass.

"Come on, man! I know you're in there!"

_How the hell does she know where I live? _Levi felt a growing pit of annoyance in his stomach as he stomped to the front door. He had moved to Maria Town to get some peace and quiet, yet this place was somehow even noisier than his old home in Rose City.

The short man threw open the front door and let out a snarl at the grinning woman. "What the hell, Shitty Specs! What are you doing here?"

Hanji smiled sheepishly. "Well, I followed you home yesterday…"

"You what!"

"Woah! Let me finish!" Hanji raised her hand in what was supposed to be a calming motion. "So anyway, I followed you home in my car yesterday because I remembered that I never got your name! What's your name?"

"Like hell I'll tell you!"

"Well, okay then." Levi blinked at the sudden agreeableness. "So when I stopped in front of the house, I noticed that there were no other houses within half-a-mile's radius. I got curious, so I went into town and asked people about it. A girl called Krista told me that it was because this house is haunted."

"She tried to feed me the same story." Levi irritably crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Did you believe her?"

Hanji shrugged. "I don't really know, but wouldn't it be cool if ghosts really existed? Oh, I want to talk to a ghost so badly!" She squealed and danced around, an excited and dreamy look in her eyes. Levi wrinkled his nose.

"Did you recently break out of an insane asylum?"

Hanji's mouth split into a wide, playful smirk. "Maybe."

Levi didn't doubt that she was lying. He was even considering calling the police when Hanji laughed and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I'm just kidding! Relax. I'm not insane."

"Could have fooled me." Levi hissed out those words as though they could somehow harm Hanji. "And you still haven't told me why you're here right now."

"Oh, right!" Hanji's face brightened, and Levi regretted asking the question. "I came to fulfill my promise!"

There was an awkward pause as Levi tried to remember what Hanji was talking about, and Hanji waited eagerly for him to remember.

"What stupid promise did you make?"

The bespectacled woman sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yesterday, I said that I would show you around town, and I'm here to do just that."

"Oh, no." Levi backed away. Truth be told he didn't actually forget about that. He was just hoping that it wouldn't come true. "I don't see why I have to go meet new people. Most people are annoying and spout nothing from their mouths but bullshit."

"Oh? And what constitutes as 'bullshit'?" Hanji stepped into Levi's house and shut the door, casually leaning against the wall.

"Stuff that I don't care about." Levi gave up trying to herd Hanji out the door and resorted to cleaning up the remains of his breakfast. He carried the dishes to the sink and started washing them, keeping an eye on Hanji as he did so.

Hanji wandered around the first floor, looking at everything and touching almost everything she saw, which annoyed Levi to some extent. However, he chose to remain silent, not wanting to say anything that might spark another exhausting conversation with the woman. However, it turned out that being near Hanji would inevitably start conversations that Levi didn't want to participate in.

"How big is this house?"

"Do you get lonely, being all by yourself?"

"Hey, you should put some decorations on the walls. They look so plain right now."

"Can I have something to drink?"

Levi slammed the cabinet door and glared at Hanji. "Shut. Up!"

Hanji raised her hands in a surrendering motion, but her lips still twitched in a grin. Apparently, Levi wasn't frightening enough for her to be truly apologetic because she asked another question almost right after.

"When do you want to leave?"

"Never." Levi breathed in deeply to calm himself. "I am not going out today. Not by myself, and certainly not with you. Now get out."

To his chagrin, Hanji didn't move, choosing instead to stand there and appraise him. "What if I bribed you?" She finally asked after a long moment of staring.

Levi crossed his arms. "It depends on what you can offer."

Hanji spread her arms in an inquisitive gesture. "What can I do to convince you to join me for a tour of Maria Town?"

"Leave my house and never come back."

"No can do. Anything else?"

"What do you mean 'no can do'?" Levi was getting irate again. "I believe you are perfectly capable of walking yourself out the front door and staying away from this house."

Hanji laughed. "Okay, let me rephrase that. I do not want to do that. Anything else?" When Levi merely scowled and remained silent, she made a suggestion. "You could reserve the favor for later."

Levi seemed to struggle with himself for a moment before gave a resigned sigh and rubbed his forehead. "You're not going to give up, are you, Shitty Specs?"

Hanji just smiled. "Go and get ready. I'll wait here for you."

Levi huffed and started up the stairs, intending to take as long as he wanted. He dug out a white T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans from his dresser and changed into them. He gave his hair a brief combing, smoothing down any stray strands that stuck up. Satisfied, he headed back downstairs.

As he reached the bottom steps, he heard voices. One of them sounded like Hanji, but he didn't recognize the other one. It sounded masculine, but the pitch wasn't that deep. Levi would put it in the voice range of a teenage boy, but when did a teenage boy get into his house, and why is Hanji talking to him as though they were friends?

"Shitty Specs?" Levi walked into the living room and was greeted by the sight of Hanji holding her phone to her ear. She turned when he addressed her and grinned.

"Okay, I'll see you later. Bye!" She snapped her phone shut and stuffed it in her pocket. "Ready?"

Levi looked around suspiciously. "Who were you talking to?"

Hanji blinked innocently. "A friend of mine. He was asking if I would have time to visit him sometime in the future."

"He was the other voice?"

The woman looked genuinely baffled. "Other voice? I didn't realize that he was talking that loudly."

Levi shook his head and grabbed his keys. "Whatever. Let's go, Shitty Specs."

Several hours later, Levi and Hanji arrived in front of the last building that they hadn't touched upon yet. "And this is the library." Hanji waved her arm at the small, brick building. Levi observed the old building and grunted. He made a mental note to remember where the library was in case he ever needed a quiet place to hang out at. Maybe the library's whispering rule could make Hanji's voice more tolerable, too.

"Is that all?" Levi checked the time on his cell phone. 3:26 PM. He wanted to get home and work on the book that he was writing. It wasn't due until next year, but Levi knew that if he procrastinated, he would never get it done.

"Yep!" Hanji put her hands behind her head. "So? What do you think?"

"Lovely." Levi's response dripped with sarcasm, but Hanji remained oblivious and continued to grin like an idiot.

"Well, I'll be going now. Feel free to come over if you ever get bored; I showed you where I live. Bye, Levi!"

Levi blinked and faltered. "Wait. How do you–?" A black object was suddenly thrown at his face, and the man reacted swiftly and caught it. It was his wallet. The woman had stolen his wallet to find out his name. That explained why she was so compliant earlier when Levi refused to tell her his name. Levi had half a mind to chase after the little thief and give her a piece of his mind, but she was already gone.

_I swear I'll get you next time. _Levi silently vowed to himself as he shoved his wallet back into his pocket and stomped home.

* * *

_Levi opened his eyes once again to see the swirling mist around him. Frustrated, he tried to bat the fog away to no avail. He tried to look around, but it was still the same everywhere, so he couldn't tell if he was even moving._

_Then, the whispering started up again, a mere brushing of sound near Levi's ears. He still couldn't clearly hear what the murmurings were about, but managed to pick out the word 'errand' again._

_As the whispering died down a little, Levi noticed that the mist seemed a little lighter than before. He strained his eyes, struggling to see anything that was not the gray mist that surrounded him on all four sides as well as above and below._

_The whispering started up again. It was slightly louder than before, but still not clear enough for Levi to hear exactly what it was saying. However, he did notice a patch in the mist that was a bit darker than the rest. As he watched, the spot approached him, growing larger as it came, but no matter how close it got, Levi still couldn't make out what it was. He unsuccessfully tried to back away, but the dark patch of fog quickly slammed into his face, engulfing Levi's vision in darkness._

* * *

**Fraeya: Lol I guessed it would be pretty obvious who that boy was, but I wrote what I wrote anyway. And yes, Erwin's going to play a pretty big role in this story, so I figured it would be a good time to introduce him, even if it's only through texts. Thanks for your continued support!**

**Guest777: I'm working on it! I'm working on it! XD**

**MidMorningSong: Thanks. I can't wait to write it.**

**Mirei Amano: Thanks, nice to meet you, too. I like horror stories and movies because of the scare they offer. I love the feeling of nervous anticipation so much, I might be addicted! XD**

**Opin88: Thanks!**


	5. Mirror Image

_I'll admit that I never thought this story would become so popular with just four chapters! It's just, WOW! Thanks so much for the follows/favorites/reviews! Your support means a great deal to me. ^_^_

_~FR242_

* * *

**{~|The Haunting of House Jaeger|~}**

_[Chapter 4: Mirror Image]_

Levi's eyes flew open, and he found himself staring up at the roof of his bedroom. His sheets were once again drenched in sweat, and he let out a hiss of irritation at the thought of having to wash it for the second time in two days.

The majority of his frustration came from the dreams themselves. No matter how hard Levi thought about them, they never made any sense. Moreover, the dreams only started after Levi had moved to House Jaeger and met Hanji. Perhaps one of the two had something to do with it.

Stumbling out of bed, Levi pulled out some clothes for him to change into. As he yanked the fresh shirt over his head, he headed to the bathroom. Stopping in front of the sink, Levi twisted the knob for cold water and held his hands under the faucet, letting the cool liquid run across his pale skin and flow between his fingers. He bent down and splashed the water over his face, letting the sting of the cold wake him up. Levi coated his face with water over and over again, relishing in refreshing feeling.

After a few minutes, Levi turned the water off, shivering slightly at the coldness of the room. He straightened up and reached for a towel. After he dried his face off, Levi looked up from the cotton cloth and glanced in the mirror that hung above the sink. His heart jumped in his throat and his breath froze in his chest as he whirled around to look behind him.

There was nothing there. Levi turned back to the mirror, his heart pounding in his chest from the startling sight he had just seen.

There had been a face in his mirror.

It wasn't there anymore, but from the brief glimpse that Levi had caught, the face had been quite plain-looking. But that was partly why it had been frightening. The face in the mirror had been deathly pale, paler than Levi. Its skin had been as white as chalk. There were two black holes where the eyes should have been, and the lips had been outlined in black. It was something Levi neither wanted nor expected to see when he looked in the mirror.

But now, it was gone, and Levi wasn't sure if he had been hallucinating or something like that. He felt certain that it was no hallucination, but he grew less and less sure as the seconds ticked by. Levi hovered in front of the mirror, trying to decide how he should be reacting.

Suddenly, a loud knocking sound came from the front door. Levi snapped out of his trance and groaned, putting his towel back on the rack. Of course, _she _had to come here this early in the morning. Does she even sleep?

Levi stomped downstairs and flung the front door open. "What do you want now, Shitty Specs?"

Hanji bounced into the house, carrying a bag of God-knows-what with her. "Good morning to you, too, Levi. I brought some cookies for you."

"Are they poisoned?"

"Sadly, no." Hanji dumped the bag on Levi's dining room table and took out the box of chocolate chip cookies. Levi rolled his eyes at her reply and sat down across from her. He wasn't going to bother trying to chase her out today. It would be a waste of energy and time.

"So what's been going on with you?" Hanji asked around a mouthful of cookie. A few crumbs fell from her mouth and dropped on the table.

"Nothing. And don't you dare sweep that onto the floor!" Levi glared at Hanji's hand, which was poised to brush the crumbs off the tabletop.

Hanji pushed her chair away from Levi, hands raised in surrender. "Come on, Levi. Something must have happened. Did you, like, choke on water or punch the wall or something?"

"What the hell makes you think that?" Hanji hadn't been here for five minutes and Levi was already getting irritated. "And now that I think about it, something did indeed happen. Two things, actually." He got up from his seat and grabbed a paper towel, wiping the crumbs that Hanji dropped off the table and into the garbage can.

"Spill!" Hanji sounded so eager that Levi raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that. I just want to get to know you better!"

Levi chose to ignore that for his own sanity and sat down. "For two nights in the row, I've had the same kind of dream. It's bothering me, and I always have to wash my sheets and my sleepwear in the morning."

"What do you dream about?" Hanji shoved the last of her cookie into her mouth and chewed silently, brown eyes boring into Levi's gray ones.

"I don't know. There's this–" Levi cut himself off and waved a hand in a vague gesture. "There's this fog that surrounds me in the dream. I can't see anything but the fog, and I can't even tell if I can move. "

Hanji nodded intently. "Go on."

"In the first dream, nothing really happened except there was a whispering. I couldn't hear what it was saying, but it sounded like it was muttering the word 'errand.' In the second dream, the whispering was slightly stronger, and this shadow appeared in the fog and approached me."

"What happened afterward?"

"I woke up." Hanji looked so disappointed that Levi scowled. "Why do you look like you want me to continue to suffer through those stupid dreams?"

"I wasn't thinking that!" Hanji waved her hands in front of her frantically, trying to deny that Levi's assumption. "Honestly, I wasn't." She calmed down after Levi gave her a half-skeptical glance and looked away. "Were those dreams it? Or did something else happen?"

Levi reached over and grabbed a cookie. Taking a bite out of it, he contemplated his thoughts for a moment as Hanji stared at him eagerly and impatiently.

"I think I saw a face in my mirror."

Hanji scoffed, making Levi's glare return at full force. To Levi's disappointment, she wasn't intimidated by it very much. "Of course you'd see a face in your mirror. It's_ your_ face, isn't it?"

"Shitty Specs, that's not what I meant!" Levi spat the statement out as though it could burn Hanji alive if he put enough venom in it. "Shut the hell up and let me explain!"

Hanji quickly drew one hand across her lips, miming the action of sealing her mouth. Levi rolled his eyes at her immaturity but didn't say anything because he knew Hanji would take it as an invitation to talk. Instead, he began describing what he saw in the mirror.

"It was white and smooth with two black holes for its eyes. The upper lip was black and there was this black cloth draped over the head." Levi furrowed his brow, struggling to remember the vision that–for some strange reason–was fading rapidly from his mind. "I saw its hands, too. They were pale and bony. The knuckles were twisted and knarled like the roots of an ancient tree, but its fingernails were black."

"Where were the hands placed?" Hanji leaned forward, interest glimmering in her brown eyes.

"According to the mirror, they were on my shoulders, but I couldn't feel anything. Then again, I'm not certain it wasn't a hallucination." Levi glanced at Hanji and wasn't sure whether he should be afraid or worried because the woman wasn't smiling. At all. "Shitty Specs?"

For the first time since they met, Hanji ignored him. She continued to stare down at the table, deep in thought and unmoving. In fact, she didn't move for so long that Levi felt irritation welling up inside him again.

"Hanji!" His voice cracked through the air like a whip. Hanji jumped in her seat, startled, and flicked her eyes up to Levi's annoyed expression. Immediately, a grin stretched her lips and she gave her glasses a little push up the bridge of her nose.

"Sorry, sorry! Spaced out for a moment there." Hanji grabbed another cookie and shoved it into her mouth. "So when did you see this face?"

"Not even an hour ago." Levi glanced at the time on his phone. "It's been about thirty-five minutes."

"Where is the mirror?"

"Upstairs in the bathroom." Hanji shot up from her seat, dashing to the stairs. Startled, Levi stood up, too. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom!"

Levi followed Hanji as the latter stomped up the stairs. Once she was on the second floor, however, Hanji decided to go exploring other things instead of heading straight for bathroom. Levi didn't particularly care if the woman decided to snoop around the spare bedroom since there was nothing in there anyway, but when the bespectacled guest tried to make her way into his bedroom, he barred the door and absolutely refused to move. He didn't need the overenthusiastic woman going through his privacy.

"Oh, come on, Levi! I won't make fun of you or anything. Promise!" Hanji was practically begging, but Levi still refused to budge.

"No means no, Shitty Specs! It's my bedroom, and I control who enters and leaves." Levi crossed his arms and glared at Hanji. Unfortunately, his height somewhat lessened the force of his intimidation.

Thankfully, Hanji relented. "Ugh, fine. Spoil sport." She backed away from Levi and gestured to the rectangular hole in the ceiling. "Why is there a hole in the ceiling? Is that the attic?"

"Yes, that's the attic, and it's off-limits right now." Levi rubbed his temples. "The ladder broke a couple days ago when I was trying to go in and clean. I haven't found the time or patience to find someone to fix it yet."

Hanji nodded thoughtfully and stared up into the black space, rubbing her chin. After she finished her examination of the broken trapdoor, she finally turned to the bathroom and walked in cautiously. She looked around the small room before her gaze rested on the mirror that hung innocently above the sink. "This mirror?"

"Yeah." Levi followed her in and peered into the mirror. Fortunately (or unfortunately), all he saw was his reflection staring back at him. There was no one else. Hanji approached the mirror and drew a finger across the surface, her eyes roaming across the glass.

"It doesn't seem like there's anything strange." She backed away, now studying the mirror from afar.

"I know." Levi kept a steady gaze on his reflection. "That's why I said I might have hallucinated." He turned and left the bathroom. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hanji bring her finger to her nose and sniff. He was curious as to why she did that, but decided that she probably wouldn't give him a straight answer or end up babbling nonstop again, so he remained silent.

He headed for the stairs and was just about to descend when Hanji suddenly pushed her way in front of him. Levi gave her a look that said 'what's your problem,' but she ignored him and continued to walk down the steps.

The two of them were about halfway down the staircase when a loud crash came from the kitchen. The pair of them froze for a moment, exchanging startled and apprehensive looks. Silently, Hanji edged forward with Levi following not far behind.

They warily edged into the kitchen, eyes darting around for the source of the noise a few moments ago. The two of them had barely walked a few steps when Hanji let out an exclamation and pointed to the knife set that was lying on the ground. Knives were strewn everywhere, and the wooden block that held the knives had chipped in a corner.

"How the hell did that thing fall off the counter?" Levi bent down and began to pick up the knives, sticking the blades back into the slits on the block. Hanji kneeled beside him and helped, although she flipped the blades over a few times in her hands first. From Levi's perspective, it looked as if she was looking for something significant on the knives. Something that he couldn't see.

"What are you looking for?"

Hanji blinked and cast Levi a cursory glance. "Ah, nothing really. Just making sure that none of these knives are broken."

Levi frowned at the blatant lie, but he did not question her any further. The woman had weird habits, and Levi would rather not probe into them, intentionally or accidentally. After all, Hanji's long talks always either confused or vexed him, no matter how much he tried to comprehend or how patient he tried to be.

The pair finished cleaning up the spilled knives, and Levi set the wooden block back on the counter, taking care to keep it away from the edge so it wouldn't fall off again. As he was pushing it in place, Hanji's cellphone went off, and the bespectacled woman pulled it out. She scanned the text message and rapidly typed out a reply, taking only a few seconds to hammer out her message and hit send.

"Nothing important." She answered Levi's inquisitive look dismissively.

Levi opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the vibration of his phone. He took it out of his pocket and saw that it was a text message from Erwin.

**From: Erwin Smith  
Levi, can we talk?  
Received: October 30th 10:59 AM**

**To: Erwin Smith  
If by 'talk,' you mean 'text,' then no. I have a guest over.  
Sent: October 30****th**** 10:59 AM**

With that, Levi snapped his phone shut. Erwin never texted him when he was busy, so Levi was surprised when his phone vibrated again shortly after he put it away.

**From: Erwin Smith  
This cannot wait.  
Received: October 30****th**** 11:00 AM**

Levi barely had time to type a response when another message popped up.

**From: Erwin Smith  
Who is your guest?  
Received: October 30****th**** 11:00 AM**

Levi frowned. Hanji watched him quietly, resting her head on her hands as she absentmindedly blew a strand of hair out of her face.

**To: Erwin Smith  
Hanji Zoe. Do you know her?  
Sent: October 30****th**** 11:00 AM**

This time it took Erwin a little longer to reply.

**From: Erwin Smith  
Maybe.  
Received: October 30****th**** 11:01 AM**

What kind of answer was that? Levi was halfway finished with his response when another message from Erwin interrupted him.

**From: Erwin Smith  
I'll tell you more when I see you. I'll have to bump up my visit date to November 7****th****, okay?"  
Received: October 30****th**** 11:02 AM**

**To: Erwin Smith  
What the hell, Erwin? You expect me to wait that long?  
Sent: October 30****th**** 11:02 AM**

**From: Erwin Smith  
Yes, I do. And please make sure that Hanji Zoe is at your house when I go over.  
Received: October 30****th**** 11:02 AM**

Levi immediately sent a message back, questioning why he should follow that order and asking just what was on Erwin's mind. To his chagrin, Erwin didn't reply to any of his texts, so Levi angrily shoved the device back into his pocket. Hanji gazed at him curiously.

"What happened?"

Levi sat down. "Just an acquaintance being a bastard. Do you know someone called Erwin Smith?"

Hanji rubbed her chin. "I might have heard of that name before."

Levi wanted to grab a knife and hack his table to pieces. The frustration of having practically no information was bothering him to an endless degree. He seriously felt like the entire world was against him today. Hanji noticed Levi's irritated demeanor and decided that a cautious approach was best right now.

"Hey, Levi. What did your acquaintance say?"

She wasn't surprised when Levi's glare hardened slightly. "He knows that I hate it when he says he has something urgent to tell me but doesn't tell me right away, yet he still does it."

Hanji smiled wryly. "To be honest, I hate that too."

Levi sighed and stood up abruptly. "I need to do the laundry. Stupid dream last night made me sweat as though I ran a mile during the summer."

Hanji continued to beam. "Okay." Levi stalked up the stairs, muttering something about how he was going through laundry detergent faster than he was going through food.

Hanji kept her smile plastered on her face until Levi was out of earshot. As soon as she was certain he couldn't hear anything, her grin fell and was replaced by a fierce scowl as she turned to glare into the small mirror magnet that was stuck to the refrigerator door. Her lips pulled back from her teeth as she let out a snarl of warning.

"You better be careful." Her voice was a snake-like hiss. "I've heard all about you, and being who I am, I will not allow you to kill him as well."

The pale, eyeless face stared back, still and expressionless as stone.

"Don't even think about trying to trap him in this house." Hanji clenched her fist and her eyes began to glow dangerously. "I know what you did to those who lived in this house before him. Did their blood fulfill your expectations like Eren Jaeger's did? Or did they disappoint you?"

The face still didn't move.

"You may have gotten your way before, but you won't get your way any longer. Don't try to play any tricks. _I'll kill you._"

Right after Hanji finished her last sentence, the face's mouth split into a terrifying sneer. Sharp teeth stained with dried blood bared themselves at the woman in a challenge. A thin, black web of veins spread out from the empty eye sockets of the face, weaving its way across the pale, smooth cheeks. An icy hiss seared the air, and the face vanished, leaving Hanji glowering at the empty mirror.

* * *

**ColorZ PrincezZ: Thanks! And lol, yes, 'errand.' People have a habit of mistaking what they hear for something else when they don't know what they're listening for. I just decided to highlight that fact a bit in the last chapter. XD**

**Fraeya: Thank you so much! I'm glad that I have your support! :D**

**Guest777 (Guest): Haha, yes, who could Hanji's mysterious friend be? Thanks for your support, and I shall continue to do my best!**

**iiILurvePancakesii: You shall see when I update more. :)**

**Opin88: Hahaha! I try my best. :P**


	6. Invisible Footsteps

_Hey, everyone. Sorry about not updating last week, but last week was finals, so that should explain a whole lot. Then, last Sunday, one of my cats died, so I didn't get much writing done at that time either, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging for another week. Therefore, I got back to writing asap, and managed to finish this on time._

_On another note, I'm probably going to stop replying to reviews, mainly because I get so many for one chapter (not that that's a bad thing) and the review replies take up a lot of the word count. So yeah, this will be the last chapter with review replies on the bottom._

_I've also been thinking about whether or not I should write a short side story that focuses on Eren. It would probably be a maximum of about ten chapters, and I doubt it would take me a long time to write. Should I do it?_

_~FR242_

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**{~|The Haunting of House Jaeger|~}**

_[Chapter 5: Invisible Footsteps]_

"Hey, Shitty Specs." Levi came downstairs, wiping at his face with a towel. "Are you going to be freeloading here today, or are you going to be leaving?"

The moment she heard Levi coming down from the second floor, Hanji had quickly changed her scowl back to its usual smile and turned away from the mirror magnet. Levi, who had been washing his face, suspected nothing.

"I don't have anything planned. Yet."

Levi eyed her warily. "What do you mean, yet?"

Hanji hummed, tilting her head back and forth. "Well, do you have anything planned for today?"

Levi shrugged. "Not really. Just work on the story that I'm writing. Why?"

The mahogany-eyed woman was smiling so widely that she looked like the Cheshire cat. "Let's go to the library!"

"No." Levi turned away and draped his towel over the back of a chair as Hanji let out a disappointed complaint.

"But Levi–!"

"I don't want to." Levi shot Hanji a look that said 'don't argue.' Of course, Hanji ignored the warning and continued to prattle on about how Levi was too pale and that he should get some sunshine and leave the house more often.

"–I mean, how can you have such light skin? It can't be healthy, Levi. Did you know that sunlight gives you vitamin D? Yeah, you're lacking in vitamin D right now, so we should definitely walk to the library. Look! It's such a beautiful day outside–!" Her voice drilled into Levi's ears, and Levi was forced to talk to prevent the potential headache that was coming.

"Hanji, just shut up!"

Hanji gasped so dramatically that Levi briefly wondered if he said something significant. "You called me by my name!"

"I've called you by your name before." Levi opened the refrigerator door and peered inside. "Besides, I'm hungry, so give me some time to eat my goddamn lunch before you go and try to drag me off somewhere." He reached into the fridge and pulled out a packet of cold ham and some wrapped cheese. Placing them on the counter, Levi went back and took out a loaf of bread as well. "Are you going to be eating my food?"

"Thank you, Levi!" Hanji's cheerfulness made the short man roll his eyes as he sliced some ham, cheese, and bread. He cut enough for two sandwiches and asked Hanji if she wanted anything else on hers, to which she declined. Stacking up the sandwiches, he handed Hanji hers and took a bite out of his own.

Hanji accepted her food and immediately headed for the living room. Levi followed, making sure that she wasn't going to do anything that would tempt him to strangle her. Luckily, Hanji merely sat down on the couch and turned on the TV.

"Get any crumbs on my couch and I'll kick you out for the rest of your life." Levi's threat was met with a nod and a wave.

For a while, the two of them sat in front of the television, wordlessly eating their sandwiches and watching the cheesy show that happened to be on at that time. Fortunately for both of them, Hanji was careful enough not to spill any crumbs on Levi's furniture, and things were relatively peaceful for about twenty minutes.

"I'm going to go wash my hands." Hanji pushed herself up from the couch and skipped to the kitchen. Levi heard water running from the kitchen sink. He swallowed the last bite of his sandwich and turned off the TV just as Hanji shut off the water.

In the silence that followed, both Levi and Hanji froze in their places, straining their ears to hear the faint, rhythmic thumping that came from upstairs. A cold feeling settled over the house as the thumping sound grew louder and then faded away, repeating itself over and over. After a minute or so, the footsteps attenuated and completely disappeared, and the cold spell over the house lifted as well.

Levi got up from the couch warily and walked into the kitchen to see Hanji transfixed at the kitchen sink, her hands still dripping with water. Her gaze darted between the staircase and the ceiling as though she expected an intruder to come running downstairs any moment.

"You heard that, right?" Her voice was lowered to a whisper.

Levi wanted to make a sarcastic remark about being deaf, but he decided against it and merely hummed in confirmation. Taking light steps, he grabbed a broom that stood nearby and carefully made his way upstairs. Hanji followed close behind, one hand in a pocket. Perhaps she had some weapon hidden in there, but Levi didn't pause to question her.

The two of them arrived on the second floor, Levi in a fighting crouch and broomstick held in front of his chest in a defensive position with Hanji slinking behind him like a cat. They surveyed the area, but to Levi's confusion, nothing seemed amiss.

Suddenly, Hanji let out a muffled gasp and pointed to the floor. Levi dropped his eyes to the ground and stiffened. A set of bloody footprints led from the bathroom and disappeared into Levi's bedroom. The blood actually wasn't very noticeable: there were merely faint outlines of the feet. Judging from the bloodstains, whoever it was didn't wear shoes.

"I think we should get out of here." Hanji's whisper sounded like a lion's roar in the deathly silence of the house. Levi shushed her, pointing to his ears and gesturing at the open doorway to his bedroom. The two of them became quiet again, listening as hard as they could. The sound was faint, but it was definitely there. It was a light crinkling sound, reminding Levi of the crispiness of the leaves in autumn.

Slowly, despite Hanji's frantic gestures, Levi stepped forward and pressed himself to the wall, broomstick held tightly by pale fingers. The noises had disappeared, but the pair was still ready for anything that might jump out at them from Levi's bedroom.

Cautiously, they peeked into the room. The trail of bloody footprints led to Levi's bed, which looked relatively undisturbed, and then veered away towards Levi's closet. The door to the closet was closed, just the way Levi left it when he last used the closet. From there, the footprints roamed around the room randomly before finally ending next to Levi's working desk.

There didn't seem to be anyone in the room, so Levi and Hanji tiptoed inside. Levi still held the broomstick in a fighting stance, but Hanji had taken her hand out of her pocket as she walked over to the closet door. She put a hand on the doorknob and looked back at Levi. The two exchanged a nod, and she yanked open the door, quickly stepping out of the way in case something attacked.

The door swung back and hit the wall with a solid thunk. Nothing else happened.

Levi walked over to his desk and picked up the rough copy of the book that he was currently writing. There was a smudge of blood on the cover, and when Levi flipped through the pages, he saw that every page had a few red fingerprints on it. The crinkling sound from earlier had been the turning of the pages.

A stickiness on his hands made Levi drop the book. Blood pooled on his hands, dripping through his fingers and landing on his book, which was lying in a puddle of the red liquid that was currently spreading across his bedroom floor.

Krista's words flooded back into Levi's mind. _House Jaeger…365 Shiganshina Drive…disappeared…fled…haunted._ For once since the time he had met her, Levi felt that he could believe her words.

"Levi?" Hanji looked stricken by the sight of the blood oozing from Levi's book, which was completely soaked through now. She approached the man warily, careful not to step into the pool of red.

Levi swallowed, staring at the blood in disgust and apprehension. "Call the police."

Hanji faltered. "Levi, this doesn't look like the work of a person. I think–"

"Hanji." Levi cut her off. "I don't want any doubts in my mind. Call the police."

The bespectacled woman hesitated for a moment longer before nodding and pulling out her phone. "I don't know if it's a good idea, but you should probably wash the blood off your hands before it dries completely." She dialed 911 and put the phone to her ear.

Levi tromped to the bathroom, hands held in front of him as though he was trying to catch something that was falling from the sky. Mechanically, he turned on the warm water and ran his hands under the faucet, watching the water bleed as it disappeared down the drain. Once he deemed his hands clean enough, he twisted the knob and shut off the water. A few remaining droplets that clung to the sides of the sink taunted him with their pinkish tint. Unable to resist, Levi turned on the water again and washed the pink droplets away, leaving the sink as white and pristine as it had been before the blood.

Hanji had just hung up the phone when Levi returned to the bedroom. Tucking her cell back into her pocket, she met Levi's gray eyes. "They're sending people over."

Levi nodded. There was an awkward silence as the two of them looked at each other and at the pool of drying blood on the floor. Then, Levi spoke up again. "Let's go wait downstairs. The blood's goddamn creepy."

Hanji agreed and the two of them walked downstairs. They sat across from each other quietly. Hanji sat still with her head bowed, looking down at her lap. Her bangs shadowed her face from Levi, so the latter didn't notice the calculating look on Hanji's face.

Levi didn't move either, aside from tracing a pattern on his table and occasionally glancing at the front door. He hoped that the police would have a reasonable explanation for the blood that didn't involve ghosts. Based on the ghost stories that Levi had heard of in the past, he'd rather not deal with a ghost in his life, and he wanted to preserve his pride.

Soon, the sound of police sirens reached House Jaeger, and both Levi and Hanji bolted to their feet and ran for the door. They flung it open to see two police officers making their way up the porch steps.

One of the officers was pretty tall, towering over Levi and Hanji. He had a small mustache and beard his short, blond hair was parted in the middle. He sniffed a couple times before he looked straight into Levi's eyes. "I'm Mike Zacharius."

The second officer was female with blue eyes and short, blond hair that was also parted down the middle. She was considerably shorter than Mike, but also carried herself in a way that made sure no one underestimated her. "I'm Nanaba. We received a call about a possible intrusion at this address."

Hanji stepped forward. "Yes, I'm the one who called."

Mike nodded. "Mind showing us where the blood is?"

Hanji and Levi led the two police officers into the house and upstairs. Mike and Nanaba looked at the bloody footprints as they walked past and grimaced at the large puddle of blood that sat on Levi's bedroom floor.

Mike knelt down next to the blood puddle, eyes scanning the red liquid and resting on the book in the middle of the pool. Nanaba took out a camera and snapped a photo of the scene. Then, she walked around the puddle to take another picture, this time from a different angle. When she was satisfied, she walked to the hall to take pictures of the footprints.

Meanwhile, Mike took out a bag and a pair of gloves. He tugged the gloves over his hands and opened the bag. Reaching over the blood, he snagged Levi's book and dropped it into the plastic bag, carefully sealing the bag up. He handed the bloodstained book to Nanaba, who stowed it away in a leather bag. Then, he approached Hanji and Levi, stripping off his gloves in the process.

"What happened? Tell us everything."

Levi and Hanji launched into the explanation. They told Mike and Nanaba everything, starting from when they heard the footsteps from the living room to the expanding pool of blood. The two police officers listened with rapt attention, occasionally interrupting to ask a question or to comment on something.

"I see." Mike nodded when the explanation was finally finished. "Well, we'll be taking the book to the station to have it examined. While we're at it, we'll have the blood tested as well to see if we can identify whose it is. The owner of the blood may give us clues to this mystery."

"Is it possible though?" Levi questioned. Mike raised an eyebrow. "Is it possible for something like this–" Levi gestured to the bloodstained floor. "–to happen? Is there a reasonable explanation?"

Mike shrugged. "We've had cases similar to this before, but we've never managed to solve them. There were no plausible explanations for the incidents, so the cases were labeled as unsolved."

Levi hesitated before asking his next question. "What about ghosts?" He mentally cringed right after asking that question. God, he sounded like a little kid!

Mike and Nanaba exchanged looks. "Ghosts don't exist, Mr. Levi."

Levi didn't like the slightly-patronizing tone that Nanaba used, but he didn't snap since he had been practically asking for it when he voiced his question out loud. Instead, he gave Mike and Nanaba a curt nod as the two officers made their way to the front door.

Mike suddenly stopped in the doorway and turned back. "If anything else comes up, feel free to call again. We'll contact you as soon as we test the blood. In the meantime, you should probably find somewhere else to stay." With a last note of farewell, he and Nanaba got into the police car and left.

When the cruiser was out of sight, Levi spun on his heels and grabbed his keys off the kitchen table. Then, he stalked over to the hall and put on his shoes.

Hanji watched him with a bewildered look. "Where are you going?"

"The library." Levi paused and looked back at her, hand on the doorknob. "Coming?"

Hanji grinned and quickly put on her shoes as well. She skipped out the door, waited for Levi to lock up, and walked beside him down the sidewalk. Neither of them noticed the blond-haired boy who snuck into House Jaeger through the living room window.

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**ColorZ PrincezZ: Haha yes, it's always the mirror. And yes, Hanji has heard of the thing before she lived in Maria Town. And Erwin may or may not know something…**

**Derpman132: Thank you.**

**FlashFreeze0: Thanks! I can't wait to write more. ^_^**

**Fraeya: Yeah, I usually don't make sexual jokes unless the character is meant to be perverted or something because I don't particularly like it when the plot revolves around sexual encounters or anything like that. As always, thanks for your support and advice!**

**Guest777 (Guest): The face is actually an OC, but I decided to give it a few characteristics of an SnK character. I'm sure you'll be able to guess which character soon.**

**iiILurvePancakesii: You shall see what happens in a few chapters. ^_^**

**Key46812: Thank you for your support!**

**Mike (Guest): Thanks!**

**MylittleOtaku: Thanks! I hope you didn't have nightmares.**

**Neekuchiki: Lol**

**Opin88: Yeah, things are only going to start escalating from here on out. Hanji pretty much just made things worse when she challenged the thing in the mirror, although she doesn't know it yet. I'm guessing that Eren might be making his debut on or before chapter 10, so you readers don't have that long to wait.**

**Rex (Guest): I've already mentioned what Levi does for a living. It's in Chapter 2 or 3. I don't remember exactly which.**

**Sophia Griffin: XD**

**The Fantabulous Nemo Dexter: Thank you!**


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